


Valentine

by MageOfLight



Series: i swear, this was supposed to just be poly skeleheat sin. now there's an extended story. huh. [6]
Category: Undertale
Genre: Chara's a brat, Late valentines fic, M/M, Red is awkward, cute/fluffy bs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 21:31:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13819842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageOfLight/pseuds/MageOfLight
Summary: Red finally confesses to Papy and Blue.





	Valentine

**Author's Note:**

> late, _very_ late Valentines fic. i actually started this for 2017's v-day, but... hah, that didn't happen. also late for _this year's_ v-day. whoops.

"...valentine's day? what's that?" Red asked, staring at Chara. Chara stared back, frowning.  
  
"It's a romantic holiday, Red!" they replied. "Look, you haven't confessed to Papy and Sans yet, right?" Red flushed, looking away and scratching the side of his skull. He opened his mouth to reply, but Chara held a hand up where he could see it, stopping him. "It's the perfect time! I can even help you with homemade chocolates. Mom taught me how to make them perfectly, and I'm sure Dad won't mind us borrowing his kitchen!" They looked more excited than Red felt about such a thing, but... how could he say no when they looked so excited to help him?  
  
"...ugh, okay, fine... so, when's this holiday?" he asked, sighing. Chara pretty much bounced in place, excitement all over their face. Red just bet that it had more to do with the prospect of chocolate than anything else. They were a chocoholic and everyone knew that.  
  
"It's February 14th, but I think we should make some test batches before you actually make the chocolates for Papy and Sans," they replied, grinning. "Can I eat the rejects?"  
  
"...knew it," Red commented, chuckling. Chara blushed, but otherwise didn't react. "that's still quite a ways off, though, chara. it isn't even the new year yet."  
  
"Yeah, but... getting the chocolate right without burning it is hard and takes a lot of practice. You're about as lazy as Papy, so I bet there'll be a lot of rejects," Chara quipped. Red laughed, conceding the teen's point.  
  
"okay, then. ya get ta make arrangements with the king ta borrow his kitchen fer cooking practice, though," he replied, and Chara nodded vigorously.  
  
And that was how Red found himself in King Asgore's kitchen, wearing an apron and splattered with melted chocolate three days before Valentine's Day while Chara and the king laughed at him.  
  
"remind me why i did this again?" he grumbled under his breath. Even so, he had a tray of nice looking chocolates laid out in front of him and he was honestly pretty proud of himself. The taste test that left Chara's mouth smeared with chocolate had gone well, too. Now all he had to do was wrap the last of them and get them packaged up. Smiling, he turned to face Asgore and Chara. "hey, thanks again fer letting me borrow your kitchen fer all'a this," he said, leaning back against the counter.  
  
"It is honestly no problem, Red. I'm glad to help you out whenever you need it," Asgore replied, returning the smile. "Have you figured out how you are going to broach the conversation with them? They confessed quite a while ago, didn't they?"  
  
"...yeah," Red muttered, flushing. He clearly remembered exactly when Blue had informed him that the other two skeletons loved him, and the events that had occurred right after. It wouldn't be something all that easy to forget, after all. He just hoped his efforts would be appreciated... or at least not hated, since he knew Papyrus and Blue had a date for the 14th. "dunno exactly how i'm gonna broach the topic. figured i'd just wing it. i'm better at that then meticulous planning, anyway. that's more blue's thing," he said, laughing sheepishly. The king and human didn't look too impressed, but they let it slide, much to Red's relief.  
  
"welp, i better pack this stuff up and get it all home and hidden. i have a shift at Grillbz tonight and i need ta get cleaned up," he told them, turning back to his creations. Soon enough, all the chocolates were wrapped neatly in two heart-shaped boxes, the rejects tucked away in a smaller, square box which he tied with a bow and tossed neatly to Chara. Chara gasped and caught it, beaming happily. "save 'em. ye've had enough chocolate today," he told them, and they nodded.  
  
"I promise, I won't touch them today!" Chara chirped, then bounced up and put the chocolates in one of the cupboards. "Actually, I might take them to Mom, if that's okay? She was curious about how you were doing with the chocolate making."  
  
"heh, if ya wanna share 'em, go fer it, kid. i gave 'em ta ya as thanks fer helping me," Red returned with a shrug. Chara nodded, then waved as Red scooped up the boxes. He returned the wave and then disappeared in a flash of crimson light.

\--------------------------------------------

Valentine's Day dawned bright and sunny and Red groaned at the beam that hit him right in the face. He rolled over to go back to sleep, but not a moment later, there was a knock on his door. Sighing, he heard Blue call his usual morning greeting. He let out a loud groan in return but hauled himself up anyway as Blue's parting laughter was returned. Pretty much the typical morning greeting at this point. They both knew he was getting up.  
  
Letting out another sigh, he swung himself out of bed and pulled on his clothing for the day. He'd chosen one of his nicer outfits, which basically consisted of a black, thin turtleneck with a red hooded sweater over it, and a pair of black pants. His usual fluffy-hooded jacket was granted a passing glance before he decided it would be overkill.  
  
Now that he was dressed, though, he paused, feeling rather nervous. It was Valentine's Day, and he needed to make a choice on what to do. Did he take the chocolates down and give them to Papyrus and Blue over breakfast and derail their plans? Or did he wait until after they got back from their date? He honestly had no idea. "...welp, might as well ask fer some advice..." he muttered and picked up his phone.  
  
*hey, kiddo... could use some advice.  
  
**Oh? What's up??????????????  
  
*big day, yeah? but i'm not really sure what to do. they have a date at some fancy place tonight, and i...  
  
*ugh  
  
*do i give them the chocolates over breakfast and risk derailing their plans? or do i wait and possibly risk them not actually getting back until the day is over?  
  
**...huh. That is a hard one. Knowing them, they'll cancel, but...  
  
**I think you should just go for it! They love you, and ditching plans to be able to include you wouldn't be any skin off their noses!  
  
*heh. good one, kid.  
  
**Hehe. 8DDDDD  
  
**But, if it makes you feel better, I can arrange something nice for the three of you! Mom would be happy to help, I'm sure. :)  
  
Red smiled, happy that Chara was so enthusiastic. He wasn't quite so sure about Chara arranging their night, considering the kid wasn't even 14 yet (close, but not quite), but Toriel would probably make sure the night went well if the kid was planning on getting their adoptive mother involved.  
  
Honestly, it was a bit of a relief, knowing that there was a plan, even if he didn't know what it was.  
  
*okay, kiddo. thanks. i'll leave it to you.  
  
**YES! You won't regret this, Red!  
  
*...i think i already do. but i appreciate your enthusiasm.  
  
**You wound me! 8'D  
  
**I wouldn't do anything to wreck your night, though. I promise. :)  
  
**Anyway, just hold on a moment. I'll go make certain Mom's on the same page as us, and I'll get right back to you.  
  
*okay.  
  
Red smiled a bit wider as he fished out the bag with the boxes of chocolates inside. Setting it down on his desk, he settled himself in to wait. He hoped Chara would be quick, though. Who knew how much time he had before Blue came thumping on his door again.  
  
His phone chimed with a new text just as Blue knocked. "Red? Are you okay in there?" The smaller skeleton sounded worried, and Red laughed softly as he opened the text message.  
  
"yeah, i'm fine, blue," he called back. "i'll be down fer breakfast in a few minutes."  
  
"...okay," Blue replied, clearly still worried, but taking Red's word for it. Red shook his head, smiling fondly at the door before looking down at his phone.  
  
**Okay! We're good to go. Mom's already planning out a feast for you three!  
  
**I'll text you later with the time and location for your date, okay? I have a couple ideas, but I'm gonna run them by Mom first.  
  
**Don't worry, though. We'll make sure it's a really amazing first date for you guys.  
  
**And I swear I won't spy, even though I really want to.  
  
Red let out a bark of laughter at that last text, shaking his head. Their little human friend was such a little shit. It was completely hilarious.  
  
*if i catch you spying, i'm gonna hang you upside down by your feet and tickle you mercilessly. don't think i won't.  
  
**...eep. )':  
  
Red snorted, then shoved his phone in his pocket, picked up the bag, then headed out of his room and down the stairs, bag hidden carefully behind him. Now that he was actually intending on going through with this, though, he couldn't help but be nervous. It'd been quite a while since Blue had told him of the other two's feelings for him, and they hadn't even propositioned him for sex since that ill-advised choice that had been helping Blue out with his heat instead of calling Papyrus back to deal with it.  
  
Hell, it seemed like they'd actually withdrawn a bit since then... though his own reactions probably didn't help with that. His own nerves and general fear had also kept him from displaying much in the way of even friendly affection, even though he'd long ago realized he'd fallen in love with the pair of them and had probably subconsciously felt that way long before he was capable of consciously acknowledging it.  
  
Still, just because he felt so strongly for them, didn't mean they still felt the same. Well, there was nothing to do but go for it, anyway. He'd never know if he didn't try, after all. Worst that could happen was they'd reject him. It'd hurt, yeah, but he could deal. They were his friends first and foremost, and he loved them dearly.  
  
Blushing faintly, he peeked into the kitchen, watching as Blue dished out their breakfast for the morning, which was apparently pancakes. Yum. The stack on Papyrus' plate were all heart-shaped, and Red had to bite back a laugh. That was just plain adorable, and the flustered look on Papyrus' face was pretty damn amusing, too.  
  
"Oh! Red, there you are!" Blue chirped as he spotted Red in the entrance. His smile quickly morphed into a frown as he noticed the flush on the darker skeleton's face, though. "Are you sure you're okay? You're all flushed," he said, only to look perplexed as the comment seemed to prompt a darker, more prominent flush across Red's cheekbones.  
  
"uh... yeah, i'm fine..." Red muttered, rubbing the back of his skull with his free hand. "i, uh... have something fer the two'a ya, so... um..."  
  
Now both of them were staring at him and Red felt sweat break out along his skull. He shifted, nervous. "could you, uh... close yer eyes?"  
  
The brothers shared a confused look before thankfully doing as he'd asked, closing their sockets. Red heaved a sigh of relief at not being stared at anymore and came into the kitchen properly. "...don't open yer eyes until i say so, okay?" he asked. Both of them nodded, browridges furrowing. He approached Blue first as he pulled one of the boxes out of his bag. Once he was close enough, he gently took the slightly smaller's hand in his and deposited the box into his hand, then did the same with Papyrus before stepping back. "um... okay. ya can look now," he muttered, staring down at the floor. He was way too nervous to watch for their reactions.

There was silence for a moment followed by the slide of ribbons being untied and boxes being opened, then short little surprised intakes of breath. "Red...? are these homemade?" Papyrus asked. Red shifted nervously from foot to foot, twisting his hands together as he nodded.  
  
"i... uh..." He chanced a glance up and noticed that the brothers were looking as flustered as he felt. Blue was blushing and staring at the heart-shaped box sitting open in his hands. Papyrus was staring at him, sockets wide and an orange blush staining his cheekbones. "i'm... not really good at, uh... expressing myself... so... uh..."  
  
"...stars, Red..." Papyrus muttered, putting the box down on the table. Red didn't move as the taller skeleton approached, letting him pull him into a gentle hug. "how long have you...?"  
  
Red, still crimson-faced, buried his face in Papyrus' hoodie as he hugged him back. "probably since before... uh... that...?" Papyrus and Blue both made confused sounds, wondering what he was talking about. Red groaned, embarrassed. "...my first heat..." he mumbled, feeling his face get hotter.  
  
"Why didn't you say anything back then...?" Blue asked quietly. Red thought he detected a note of hurt in the other's voice. He couldn't blame him, honestly. Blue had come clean, and Red hadn't really said much besides telling them that he cared about them.  
  
"i... wasn't ready, i guess..." Red replied, sounding unsure. Honestly, though, beyond the undeniable fact that he'd come to care quite a bit about them, he hadn't been sure how he'd felt at the time.  
  
"makes sense," Papyrus commented, stroking Red's skull soothingly. Red couldn't help but purr softly at the gentle touch, causing Papyrus to chuckle. Soon enough, Blue was joining in on the hug, and Red felt an enormous sense of relief. He hadn't screwed things up. Smiling finally, he hugged them both back, letting out a content sound at being wrapped up in their arms. It was a comfortable warmth.  
  
Before too long, though, Blue pulled back, smiling widely. "Have a seat, Red! I'll get your pancakes done up," he chirped.  
  
"okay. thanks, blue," Red replied, moving to pull away from Papyrus to take his seat. Only Papyrus didn't seem too keen on letting him go just yet and instead pulled Red back toward his chair and plopped down, pulling Red into his lap causing the smaller skeleton to flush crimson again.  
  
"...papyrus..." he grumbled quietly, only to get the back of his neck nuzzled. Oh well, whatever. Sighing, he shifted to get comfortable, leaning back against Papyrus' chest. His own chest rumbled with a soft purr, unable to help it.  
  
"hungry?" Papyrus asked quietly, resting his chin on Red's shoulder. Red nodded, making a soft sound of confirmation. Papyrus chuckled, and Red suddenly felt like he'd made a mistake. the sound of cutlery clanking against ceramic momentarily covered the quiet joyful sound of Blue's humming, and then Papyrus' fork was hovering in front of his mouth. Red flushed, and he just _knew_ that Papyrus had a shit-eating grin on his face.  
  
"...really?" he asked. The fork didn't move, so he sighed and opened his mouth, letting Papyrus feed him. The pancakes held the faint flavour of honey, though it mixed pleasantly with the syrup. He hummed softly at the taste.  
  
"good?" Papyrus asked, and Red could hear the grin in his tone.  
  
Red nodded, swallowing his mouthful. "decent. you know honey isn't my thing, though," he muttered, shaking his head. "eat your pancakes," he added, chuckling. Moments later, another plate of pancakes was set next to Papyrus', already covered in syrup. They were also heart-shaped and Red flushed again. Honestly, he felt like if he kept blushing like he was, his head might explode. "thanks, blue..." he murmured, then reached for his fork.  
  
"You're welcome!" Blue responded, then headed back to cook up his own breakfast.  
  
After that, breakfast was eaten mostly in silence, though Papyrus wouldn't let Red move from his lap at all while they ate. Blue's unwavering grin looked far too amused, and Red was sure he was pouting by the time the meal was done. When Blue moved to take the dishes, though, Red finally jerked free and stood. "i'll do the dishes, blue," he said quickly, smiling.  
  
"Okay. Thank you, Red," Blue replied, letting Red take his plate.  
  
Papyrus stood, stretching and making a considering sound. "mmm... it's probably too late to get a bigger table at the restaurant..." he muttered, then shook his head. "yeah. I'm gonna go cancel our reservation," the taller skeleton said, this time loud enough for both the smaller pair to hear.  
  
Red flinched slightly, then grinned. "good thing i anticipated that and made other arrangements, huh?" he asked, only to find himself the target of two surprised stares. "what, ya think i'd ruin your date plans without a backup?"  
  
"Well, no, but..." Blue started, then shook his head. "It isn't even that big a deal, Red. We only planned that date so we wouldn't be subjecting you to extra mushy stuff today," he said, laughing. "Honestly, I just want to be with you and Papy. What we do doesn't matter."  
  
"Blue's right. being together is what's important," Papyrus chimed in, smiling softly.  
  
"...yeah, well... i made plans anyway," Red replied, then laughed somewhat sheepishly. "kinda. i may have left things up ta a couple friends... but i trust them, so..."  
  
"heh. you're just full of surprises, huh?" Papyrus asked, wrapping his arms around Red again and nuzzling the top of his skull happily. Red hummed and relaxed in Papyrus' arms with a happy little sigh. It felt so good to be held by someone who so clearly cared about him. With their proximity, Red could feel the warm pulse of Papyrus' soul. Blue soon joined them, nuzzling under Red's chin, totally diverting Red from his goal of washing the dishes.  
  
"To be honest, I was kinda worried that you... might have hated me a little... after what happened during my heat..." Blue murmured haltingly against Red's chest.  
  
"oh, stars... no, blue. never. the both of ya have been nothing but fantastic ta me. even when i let my own insecurities get the better of me and ya guys were giving me space ta work through it... besides, how could i think anything remotely bad about ya fer something that wasn't even yer fault? it was my stupid choice, and ya two took excellent care'a me while i recovered." The fanged skeleton paused, making a thoughtful sound. "speaking of, i never did thank ya two properly fer that, did i?"  
  
Blue pulled back, staring wide-socketed at Red. "There's no need, Red! What kind of friends would we be if we left you to deal with that on your own? We care about you, and we just want you to be happy and safe," Blue said, leaning in to hug Red tightly again.  
  
"Blue's right. looking after you was no big deal. and hey, since then, I've been able to go to the city whenever with no issues, so that's been pretty cool," Papyrus added, grinning.  
  
Red laughed softly. "leave it ta the two of ya ta look on the bright side of things, huh?" he murmured, snuggling a little more into the two skeletons holding him.  
  
The rest of the day was spent in what Blue referred to as a 'cuddle puddle', the three of them snuggled together on the couch, watching the dumbest human movies they could find mixed in with the occasional Napstabot show for Blue's enjoyment. Half way through one such stupid movie, Red's phone chimed. The other two gave him curious looks as he fished the device out of his pocket and then refused to let them see the screen. Grinning, he wriggled free of Papyrus and Blue, then stood.  
  
"i'll be back in a moment. just gotta deal with this," he said, then headed out of the room.  
  
**Sooooo, how'd the confession go, loverboy?  
  
*(snorts) about as well as you probably figured. which is great, btw. spent the day together.  
  
*but i doubt that's what you texted me about.  
  
**You'd be right about that. :)  
  
**Mom's been cooking all day. There's a veritable feast here, and I don't know how she expects the three of you to actually eat all this food!  
  
Red laughed, shaking his head. Just figured the queen would do something like that.  
  
**But aside from the overabundance of food, we also found a great place for you guys to have your date.  
  
**So, you know how Dad lives further into the mountain area, right?  
  
*yeah?  
  
**Mom and I asked Dad if there was any good spots in the area where one could potentially have a picnic. He told us about this place like... a mile off from his place.  
  
**It's apparently right on the mountainside, but it's a flat cliff area. You should pop over here so I can show you on the computer.  
  
*okay, be over in a sec. just gotta let pap and sans know that i'm heading out for a few.  
  
**Okay! See you in a bit!  
  
Red chuckled again and then poked his head back into the living room. "okay, so. date helpers need me ta pop over fer a few ta check something. i'll be right back," he said then, upon getting confused okays from his bonefriends, gave them a soft smile and teleported to Toriel's house and knocked on the door.  
  
Said door swung open before he'd even had a chance to lower his arm, and Chara was grabbing him and tugging him inside with an excited, happy sound.  
  
"Hello, Red. It's good to see you," Toriel said as Chara was dragging him past the kitchen. Chara stopped, frowning.  
  
"Mooooom, I have to show Red the satellite photos!" they half grumbled, half whined, prompting laughter from both skeleton and goat monster.  
  
"i'll stop in ta talk on the way out," Red promised. Toriel nodded, and Chara continued dragging Red to the computer room.  
  
Once there, Chara released Red's arm and plopped down in the chair. "Okay, so, here's Dad's house. We go this way up the mountain, and see this little clearing area in the trees here? It's about 25 feet up the mountainside, so even this time of year, it shouldn't be all that cold. I figure if you can teleport there with only the satellite image and coordinates to guide you, maybe we can take the dinner up there and then you can take Papy and Sans up in time to watch the sunset and then stay there to watch the stars?" Chara looked up at Red with a wide, cheerful smile, clearly hopeful that their idea would work.  
  
"huh... yeah, that could actually..." Red hummed thoughtfully. "of course, that's a ways off from existing shortcut radius, but it shouldn't be hard ta... yeah, hold on. i'm gonna go set that up real quick and then i'll be back ta help get the food there," he said, then teleported away.  
  
He landed out front of Asgore's house, startling the old goat who was outside tending to his flowers. "Red, my friend! What brings you here?"  
  
"heh, sorry old man. didn't mean ta startle ya. the kid told me about that place on the mountain, and yer place is obviously closer, so i came here ta set up a shortcut. easier on my magic reserves if i'm closer ta a new location," Red told him.  
  
"Oh, I see. So the chocolates went over well, then?" Asgore replied, smiling as Red flushed.  
  
"yeah... they haven't tried them yet, but we were kinda busy today. anyway... sorry ta cut and run, but i really need ta get back soon..."  
  
"Oh, yes, of course! I'm sorry to have kept you. I hope your date goes well." Asgore patted Red on the shoulder gently, then turned back to his gardening, humming softly as Red focused. Magic gathered around him as he focused on the new space he wanted to go, and then with a loud pop sound, he was gone from Asgore's yard.  
  
He reappeared with an equally loud pop in the middle of the clearing only to sway and stumble forward a couple steps as the light-headedness associated with a sudden outpouring of magic hit him. "ugh... now i remember why i leave creating new shortcuts ta pap..." he muttered, shaking his head and pressing the heal of his hand against his forehead. Once the feeling passed, he took a moment to take a look around. The location was a grassy meadow dotted with the occasional small tree, all apparently tucked into a wedge of rock. The open side gave a perfect view of the horizon and when the sun set, Red knew the view would be stunning. He grinned, then teleported back to Toriel's house.  
  
"You're back! Did you find the place okay?" Chara questioned pretty much the moment Red appeared. He chuckled, grinned, and shot the teen a thumbs up.  
  
"it's perfect, kiddo. thanks," he said, ruffling their hair. Chara giggled and hugged Red.  
  
"No problem! You know I'd do anything for you guys. You're my best friends," Chara replied, then tugged Red into the kitchen where Toriel was placing the last of the feast into a huge basket.  
  
"Ah, Red, my dear, you have excellent timing. I am just finishing," the queen said with a smile. "I take it everything went well for you?"  
  
"yeah. i was pretty nervous about it, but... in hindsight, i probably shouldn't have been. thanks fer helping with the date, toriel. i honestly don't know what i would have done without ya and chara helping me out like this," Red replied, rubbing the back of his skull.  
  
Toriel patted Red on the shoulder. "There is nothing to thank me for. I was happy to help. And besides that, it is always a treat to put my skills to use for other people," she said in return, and Red smiled back at her. "Now, you should best be off. The sun will be setting soon, and I'm sure it would set a wonderful mood for your date."  
  
Red nodded. "yeah, i'd been thinking that, as well. i'll text ya later ta let ya both know if the date went okay."  
  
"What do you mean _if_? It's going to go great, Red. Have a little faith in yourself and your boyfriends," Chara suddenly piped up. Red flushed, rubbing the back of his skull again.  
  
"y-yeah... anyway, i'll text ya both regardless," he muttered, the grabbed the basket's handle only to be stopped by Toriel for her to hand him a blanket.  
  
"There are some nice dishes inside the basket. Please bring them back later?" she then asked.  
  
"of course. i'll clean everything then bring it all back," Red replied. Toriel nodded her thanks, then let him go. He vanished in a flash of crimson light moment's later.  
  
When he reappeared in the meadow, he got the blanket laid out and used blue magic to lift and move the basket to the center of the blanket. Once that was done, he glanced at the horizon and frowned. He had to hurry and get the other two before the sun got any lower in the sky. With that thought in mind, he teleported once again, landing in front of the couch with a wide grin.  
  
"Welcome back, Red! What did they need?" Blue asked, moving over to allow Red to sit back between himself and Papyrus, though Red reached out to tug the pair of them up instead.  
  
"nothin' much, really. they just needed me ta put the finishing touches in place myself," Red replied, smirking with more confidence than he really felt as the two of them aimed curious, confused looks at him as they allowed him to pull them up. "it's a surprise, so i need ya both ta close yer eyes," he told them. They looked at each other, shrugged, then closed their sockets. Red smiled, took their hands and teleported.

**Author's Note:**

> art by Tune. full-sized image [here](https://i.imgur.com/rkDAtqt.png).


End file.
